Packaging means



Oct. 14, 1969 G. H. ACKERMA'N 3, 7 ,366

' PACKAGING MEANS I Filed Nov.- 2. 1967 INVENTQR GEORGE H" CKERMANATTORNEY United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pack of fencepost fasteners in which the fasteners are held in nested relation by twostrips of pressuresensitive tape extending across and adhering toopposite sides of the nested fasteners.

This invention relates in general to packaging means and, moreparticularly, to a plurality of fence post fasteners presented in anorderly pack. .MetaLfence posts are used extensively for supportingvarious, types of fencing material, and this material is held to theposts by metal fence post fasteners or clips. Normally five fastenersare used per post. It is customary among fence post manufacturers topack five posts to a bundle and to include for or with each bundle apacking bag or box containing 25 or 50 fence post fasteners. By reasonof their tortuous contour, these fasteners easily become entangled andinterlocked within the package. often to the extent that they cannot beremoved without destroying the package, and even then it is difficult toremove individual fasteners from the tangled mass.

\ Among the several objects of the present invention may be noted theprovision of a pack of fasteners in which. the fasteners are arranged inan orderly accessible manner; the provision of a pack of fasteners ofthe type stated in which the fasteners can be removed conveniently andindividually; and the provision of a pack of fasteners of the typestated whichis simple and rugged in construction and economical toassemble. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and inpart pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafterdescribed, the scope of the invention being indicated in the followingclaims. 7

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possibleembodiments of the invention is illustrated,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fastener pack constructedin accordancewith and embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the fastener pack;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are sectional views taken along lines 3-3 and 4-4,respectively, of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a fastener forming part of the fastener pack;and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the pack attached to aworkmans belt.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, 2 designates a pack of individual fencepost fasteners 4 held together in an orderly and accessible manner bymeans of strips of pressure-sensitive tape 6, 8.

Each fastener 4 is formed from wire stock and includes a pair of legs10, 12, which diverge from a common apex 14. At its opposite end, leg 10is turned outwardly away from the plane defined by legs 10, 12, in theformation of an upturned end portion 16. Leg 12 is similarly turnedoutwardly in approximately the same direction at its opposite end andthen downwardly again in the formation of a U-shaped hook portion 18,the legs of which lie in a plane approximately perpendicular to theplane defined by legs 10, 12.

In pack 2 a plurality of fasteners 4 are arranged in nested relation(FIGS. 1 and 6) with legs 10, 12, hook portions 18, and upturned endportions 16 of adjoining fasteners located adjacent and substantiallyparallel to one another. Tape strips 6, 8, pass over and adhere to theopposite sides of nested fasteners 4, that is, they adhere to theoppositely presented somewhat undulated surfaces formed by a series ofadjacent legs 10 and 12, thereby holding fasteners 4 in a flexiblealthough orderly arrangement. Beyond endmost fastener 4 tape strips 6,8, adhere to one another in the formation of an end tab 20 having anaperture 22.

A tape suitable for use as tape strips 6, 8, is formed from anatural-colored creped paper saturated with a tough rubber-basedimpregnant and having a pigmented rubber-resin adhesive applied thereto.The tape adheres to steel with a force of 38 oz./inch Width, is 0.0070inch thick, elongates 10% before breaking, and has a tensile strength of20 lbs/inch width. Such a tape is marketed by the 3M Company, St. Paul,Minn, under the trademark SCOTCH and is designated by that company asits No. 234 General Purpose Paper Tape.

Another tape suitable for use as tape strips 6, 8, is No. 232 GeneralPurpose Masking Tape also marketed by the 3M Company under the trademarkSCOTCH. That tape is a natural-colored creped paper saturated with atough rubber-based impregnant and having a pig mented rubber-resinadhesive applied to one surface thereof. The tape adheres to steel witha force of 40 oz./ inch width, is 0.0075 inch thick, elongates 10%before breaking, and has a tensile strength of 20 lbs/inch width. Tapes232 and 234 adhere instantly even on extreme contours such as theundulated surfaces formed by a plurality of fasteners 4 arranged innested relation.

The foregoing values for tensile strength, thickness, elongation, andadhesive strength for SCOTCH No. 232 and No. 234 tape were determined bytest methods under Federal Test Method Standard 147 and representaverage values. Tape strips 6, 8, which are 1% inches wide have beenfound suitable for use with fasteners 4 having a total Width ofapproximately 3% inches and a wire diameter of approximately inch.

In use, pack 2 is included with a bundle of fence posts and contains asufficient number of fasteners 4 for all the posts within the bundle. Bypassing a string or wire through aperture 22, pack 2 can be attached toone of the posts in [the bundle, thereby preventing loss of fasteners 4during shipment and handling. After the posts have been emplaced withinthe ground and the fencing material is to be attached to them, tab 20 isgripped and pulled back between upturned end portion 16 and U-shapedhook portion 18 of endmost fastener 4. In so doing tape strip 8 willtear along legs 10, 12, of that fastener, thereby freeing tape strip 6so that it can be peeled back across legs 10, 12, of succeedingfasteners 4. The free end of tape strip 6 is then looped through theWorkmans belt and subsequently brought into adherence with itself,preferably beyond the last fastener 4 (FIG. 6). In this positionfasteners 4 are held by tape strip 8 and are conveniently accessible atthe workmans waist. When the workman needs a fastener 4 he merelyreaches down toward his Waist and pulls it from tape strip 8. Pack 2 canalso be utilized without attaching it to a workmans belt. Individualfasteners 4- can be removed by pulling tab 20 back across either tapestrip 6 or 8 and toward apex 14 of endmost fastener 4, thereby causingone of the tape strips to tear along legs 10, 12, as previouslydescribed. When the peeled strip is peeled still further acrosssucceeding fasteners 4, they are maintained in nested relation by thetorn tape strip; yet they can be easily removed for use.

At all times the fasteners 4 remaining in pack 2 are held adjacent oneanother in nested relation by tape strip 8. Accordingly, they cannotbecome entangled or interlocked. On the contrary, they are alwayspresented in an orderly manner for quick and convenient removal.

The two tape strips need not extend across legs 10, 12, nor is itnecessary that they be presented exactly opposite one another. Forexample, a pack of nested fasteners 4 may be assembled with one tapestrip extending across the convexed undulated surface formed by thealigned U-shaped hook portions 18 and the other tape strip extendingacross the undulated beveled surface formed by the intersection of legs10 and upturned end portions 16. In such a case the first tape stripwould assume the U-shaped configuration of hook portions 18, while thesecond tape strip would lie generally in two different intersectingplanes, the first being formed by the underside of aligned upturned endportions 16 and the second being formed by the underside of aligned legs10, reference being made to FIG. 3. Although the tape strips would nolonger be presented opposite one another, they would still extend acrossdifferent undulated surfaces formed by nested fasteners 4, and theseundulated surfaces would be located on opposite sides of the pack offasteners.

In use each fastener 4 is pulled from the first and second tape strips,or one of the tape strips is pulled back upon itself and across a few ofthe endmost fasteners, thereby leaving those fasteners adhering only tothe remaining tape strip. In the latter case the workman can remove theendmost fasteners merely by pulling them off the remaining tape strip.The tape strip which had been peeled back could, if desired, be loopedover a workmans belt as previously described so that the workman wouldhave fasteners 4 conveniently available at his waist.

Other arrangements for the tape strips are also possible.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of theinvention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

What is claimed is:

1. A pack comprising a plurality of fasteners having similar irregularcontours which enable them to be arranged in nested relation; each ofsaid fasteners having first and second legs; portions of said first andsecond legs lying in the same plane; said first leg having a shape Iwhich is different from the shape of said second leg; said first andsecond legs of said plurality of fasteners combining to form first andsecond surfaces respectively when said fasteners are in nested relation,said first and second surfaces being shaped differently from oneanother; and holding means engaging each of said fasteners for holdingsaid fasteners in nested relation.

2. A pack according to claim 1 wherein each of said first and secondlegs diverge from a common apex, said first and second surfaces beingsubstantially continuous and oppositely presented; and said holdingmeans is a strip of tape extending across and adhering to said firstsurface.

3. A pack according to claim 1 wherein said holding means are strips oftape extending across and adhering to said plurality of nestedfasteners.

4. A pack according to claim 3 wherein the strips of tape are formedfrom creped paper saturated with a rubber-based impregnant and have atensile strength of at least approximately 20 lbs. per inch width.

5. A pack according to claim 4 wherein the tape further comprises arubber-resin adhesive carried by the creped paper; and the tapepossesses an adhesive strength on steel of at least approximately 38 oz.per inch width.

6. A pack according to claim 2 wherein another strip of tape extendsacross and adheres to the surface formed by said second legs.

7. A pack according to claim 6 wherein the first leg of each fastenerturns outwardly at its end in the formation of an upturned end portion;and the second leg of each fastener turns outwardly at its end in theformation of a hook portion.

8. A pack according to claim 6 wherein the strips of tape adhere to eachother between the first and second legs of the endmost fastener andtherebeyond in the formation of a tab, whereby when the tab is pulledtoward the apex one of the strips of tape will tear along the diverginglegs, thereby freeing the other strip so that it can be peeled free ofthe fasteners.

9. A pack comprising a plurality of fasteners having similar irregularcontours which enable them to be arranged in nested relation; each ofsaid fasteners having a center portion lying in a first plane, a firstend portion lying substantially in a second plane different from saidfirst plane, and a second end portion defining substantially a thirdplane different from said first and second planes; said center portionsand end portions combining to form at least two different surfaces whensaid fasteners are in nested relation; and holding means engaging eachfastener for holding said fasteners in nested relation.

References Qited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,665,051 4/ 1928 Briggs 206-563,276,576 10/1966 Lamgar et al. 206-56 2,670,076 2/1954 Mouks 206-652,843,230 7/ 1958 Nelssom.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner J. M. CASKIE, Assistant ExaminerU.S. Cl. X.R. 20665

